Japan's Mt. Fuji recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site

September 11, 2013

Hikers celebrate Mt Fuji's recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage site, while locals worry about preserving its natural beauty from the resulting wear and tear of increased tourism.

David Guttenfelder/Associated Press

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Hikers celebrate Mt Fuji's recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage site, while locals worry about preserving its natural beauty from the resulting wear and tear of increased tourism. Local officials brace themselves for an increase in visitors, ecstatic for the business tourists will bring, but also weary of the toll it could take on the mountain. Some worry about the increased trail work needed to support more hikers, while others lament about the inevitable influx of trash that will be left in their wake.

In this Saturday, Aug. 10, 2013 photo, Japanese hikers climb one of the trails on Mount Fuji in Japan. The recent recognition of the 3,776-meter (12,388-foot) peak as a UNESCO World Heritage site has many here worried that will draw still more people, adding to the wear and tear on the environment from the more than 300,000 who already climb the mountain each year. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

David Guttenfelder/Associated Press

1of14

Hikers celebrate Mt Fuji's recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage site, while locals worry about preserving its natural beauty from the resulting wear and tear of increased tourism. Local officials brace themselves for an increase in visitors, ecstatic for the business tourists will bring, but also weary of the toll it could take on the mountain. Some worry about the increased trail work needed to support more hikers, while others lament about the inevitable influx of trash that will be left in their wake.

In this Saturday, Aug. 10, 2013 photo, Japanese hikers climb one of the trails on Mount Fuji in Japan. The recent recognition of the 3,776-meter (12,388-foot) peak as a UNESCO World Heritage site has many here worried that will draw still more people, adding to the wear and tear on the environment from the more than 300,000 who already climb the mountain each year. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)